Match-box.



PATENTBD NOV. 27, 1906.

W- T. IVES. MATCH BOX.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR.19, 1906.

Ifivenior. 4a z/f/W Witnesses.

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UNITED STATES PgTENT OFFICE.

MATCH- ox.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. '27, 1 906.

Application filed March 19, 1906. Serial N6. 306,894}

To aZl 1012 0111, ,it mageqncern; H

Be it known that I, WALTER TRAoY IVES, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at'214 S-t. James'street, the city of Montrealfin the district of- Montreal, in the Province-of Quebec in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful- Improvements in -Match-Boxes, of-w-hichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in 1natch boxes;-

the-object of the invention is to-devisefasafe receptacle for a quantity-of matches in whi ch lighted matches may be extracted from the box singly and not interfere with the remai-ning'matches, and whereby. only. one match may be extracted at an operiationyand it consists, essentially, of a base 'a -stan'd'ard risingfrom said base and rigid therewith, a casing forming a receptacle supported on said-{standard and having inclined-ways' therein converging to an egressopfi il g, movable member supported by said standard immediately beneath said receptacle andslotted to-receivethematch fromthe aforesaid receptacle, and striking means interposed in the way of'the' match-head in proximity to said movable member, as hereinafter more particularly set forth in detail.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device having one complete side removed and showing. the interior mechanism. Fig. 2 is a view showing'th'e front elevation of thedevice having a portion of thecasing and the face-plate broken away. Flg. 3"

is a perspectivedetail of the face-plate, show- I Fig. 4 is a perspec tive detail of the movable member.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

ads the casing, hereshown as rectangular and as having a corner thereof cut away to form the egress-slot 1), thus making two of its sides the inclined ways 0 and d, the latter terminating at each side thereof in the areshaped guides 10 and 11 and in the center in the tongue 12; but it must be understood that without departing from the spirit of my invention the casing may be of any suitable shape, particularly a sha e susceptible to ornamtenation, and the inc ined ways installed therein quite apart from the sides of the easing; but for conveniencesake I shall describe the invention in a simple form. r

e is the base, herein shown as rectangular in shape andh'a'ving the upturned flange f completely therearound, thus forming a tray.

The base may, however, be made of any suitable sha e and formation, according to the design 0 the device.

g. is the standard risingfrom the base e and securely fixed theretoor forming, part' therewith and having the sides h supporting'the casing a and the front'portion '1) cutaway slightly above said base.

In the sides 12,, and 7c are slots, in which is inserted the lower turned end Z bf the back plate The back plate m at its upper'end has a downward-lyextending flange-n correspondingly formed and fitting into a recess=0, made in casing a. removable for the purpose-of' getti interior mechanism of the device. T "a front portion of the standard gh'as securely'bolted to it at the top thereof, the runway q, and the said runway at its lower end has the up} turned fingers r, and extendihg upwardly from the sides of said runway, andfdrmin'g part therewith arethe guiding-rods s, reaching in an upward direction and curved.

The casing-a is supported 'cornerwise on the standard g, or it mayform part with thesaid standard, though in the construction herein shown and described one side of the casing a, forming the way 0, extends downwardly and forms the front plate '15. The front plateft has an arc-shaped interior'surface extending downwardly and secured to t'he'sides hof the standard g. The said front plate It reaches at its lower end to just over the runwayg out side of the curved rods sof said runway.

a, o, and w are ribs securedto theinner'arc shaped surface of the front plate t or forming plarttherewith; The'rib's u and w at theextreme side edges of said inner surface are roughened, while the middle rib' v is smooth.

w is a roller forming the agitator within the casing-a for sorting the matches and deliver ing them through the slot 1). The rollerw is hollowed and rests over the slot b. y is'a pintle secured in the ends of the-"casing a and passing through said hollow roller, so that it will be impossible to throw'the said rollertoo much out'of place The said roller :1; lis' of such dimensions thatit would bulge slightly through the slot 1).

2 is a hub having a central stud '2 projecting from each end thereof andjournaled in the sides h of the standards.

3 represents disks mounted on the'hu'b zytoward the end thereof or forming part therewith and having the slots 5 in alinement.

the boss p from the outsideof the The back plate m-is'thus readily. at'lthepile;

6 represents flat springs secured to the hub outside of the disks 3 in proximity to the slots 5 and reaching thereacross above the bed of said slots, so as to form a spring-cushion for a match when resting in said slots.

""7'is a band-spring caught to the hub 2 and wound therearound and caught onto the inner-surface of the lower end of the standard type, secured to the end of one of the studs 2 to turn the rotor or disks 3 against the pull of the spring 7. In the operation of'this device the matches are dumped into the receptacle formed by the casing a, and no matter what )OSltiOIl thesaid matches may assume the ro ler as within the casing will effectually sort them into a neat The said roller normally rests on top of the disks 3, which project slightly into the match-receptacle through the slotb. Thus when thehandle 8 is pulled downwardly the motion will disturb the roller or agitator within the casing and allow a match to pass down onto the disks and into the slots 5, Which register with the slot 1). The match thus resting in the slots when the handle is pulled rubs against the face-plate t, the head and'end engaging the roughened surfaces of the ribs 11, and w, while the middle of the match passes along the rib v. The springs 6 forming/a spring-cushion in the recesses for the match, the ribs u, v, and to may press quite firmly against said match without fear ,of crushing it; but in thus pressing firmly against it the head of the match is rubbed against one of the roughened surfaces, and

this friction ignites the said head of the match,

and said match passesalong under the lower end of 'the faceplate and over the curved guides-of the runway and so on down said runway to the upturned fingers at the bottom thereof, where it may be picked off ready for use. On releasing the handle the rotor part the slot b.

of the device springs back to its first position, when the handle engages the stop 9, leaving the slots 5 once more registering with In this return of the rotor the agitator or roller within the casing again disturbs the matches and brings one down to the slots 5.

In fact, the disturbance by the said agitator within the casing will bring a match down to the said slots 5, but never more than one can I I be carried by the disk beyond the end of the way 0. It does not make any difference which way the match comes downthat is, head to one side or the other of the device as either of the roughened surfaces u or w will engage said head on which it comes down.

One of the great advantages of this invention is the economy in providing matches for saving much time to the attendants in such public places and proving a convenience to the public which will be very much appreciated. I

There may be other ways 'of making the moving member which transports the match from the receptacle to the receiving-tray;

but the rotor motion as described in this specification is considered by me as preferable toa sliding movement.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a match-box, the combination with the base and a standard rising therefrom and rigid therewith, of a casing forming a receptacle converging in the interior to a suitable egress-opening, agitating means within said receptacle, a rotating member having a plurality of disks extending from its hub therearound and slots in alinement in said disks, springs secured in said hub and extending across said slots and forming a spring-cush ion above the bed of said slots, and friction means interposed in the way of the head of the match transported by said rotating member, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a base, a standard rising therefrom and rigid therewith having a cut-away front portion, a runway having upturned flanges at its lower end thereof secured to the top of said front portion and upwardly-extending guiding-rods, a casing forming a receptacle having interior walls converging to an egress-opening, a spring-held rotating member journaled in the sides of the standards beneath said receptacle and having slotted disks extending from the hub thereof through said opening into said receptacle, an agitator within said receptacle supported on said disks, a curved face-plate closing in said standard beneath said casing and extendin downwardly over the top portion of sai runway and having friction means for striking said match-head in its travel with said rotating member from said receptacle, and a suitable handle for turning said rotating member, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a device of the classdescribed, in

combination, a base having an upturned flange at the edge thereof and forming a tray, a standard rising therefrom and rigid therewith and having cut-away front and rear por- I 2 5 tions, a casing forming a match-receptacle supported on said standards and, having in the interior thereof converging Walls to an egress-opening, a rotating member j ournaled in the sides of said standard beneath said re- 1 o ceptacle and having slotted disks extending from the hub thereof into said receptacle through said opening and springs secured to the hub thereof and extending alongside the disks past the slots therein forming a springcushion above the beds of said slots, a spring encircling the hub of said rotating member and caught thereto and having its other end secured to the standard and normally holding said rotating member with its slot immediately beneath the aforesaid egress-opening, an agitator resting on the disks of said rotating member within said receptacle, a runway from the front portion of said standard having upturned fingers at its lower end and suitable guides extending upwardly, a face plate extending downwardly on the front of said standard over said rotating-member to the top of said runway and having a plurality of longitudinal ribs on its inner surface, two of said ribs at the edges thereof having roughened surfaces engaging the matchheads on their travel from said receptacle in said rotating member, a removable backplate secured to said standard, and a handle abutting a suitable stop from said standard and secured to the axle of said rotating member, as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at the city of Montreal, in the district of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, in the Dominion of Canada, this 17th dayof March, 1906.

WALTER TRACY IVES.

Witnesses:

LLOYD BLACKMORE, G. H. TRESIDDER. 

